I’m not a resident of Grand Rapids, but I do work in the city and pay a non-resident income tax. I would be more than happy to pay the proposed tax since it is vital that our core city have a very good street system to help support a healthy city which is of benefit to all of us who live in surrounding areas.

The streets are in serious trouble and our financial help is required to remedy this situation.

CHARLES BLOOM/Rockford

Vote no

Our streets need fixing but why are we voting for the extra tax without knowing the whole truth? Federal roads and state trunk lines in the city of Grand Rapids should be paid by the government and the state. There is money in the budget to fix city streets. Our taxes will definitely go up if their vote wins. Our economy is stretched to the limit.

Who has money for sidewalks? Sidewalks have nothing to do with streets. Fix one thing at a time. If the vote for sidewalks was put on the ballot the same time as the ballot for parks, the park ballot would not have passed.

The city already went down my street and fixed sidewalks that were damaged from a storm that uprooted trees and ruined the city sidewalks. Most of these residents were billed hundreds of dollars. I was.

If this vote passes will I get a refund? I asked this of Rosalynn Bliss and said she would talk to management. We know the answer will be no. Vote no for sidewalks. Our property taxes are way too high. This coming from senior homeowner in Grand Rapids.

DOROTHY CZERNEY/Grand Rapids

Secretary of State comments

A sad business...a legislature that rejects ideas without first considering their worth. Secretary of State Ruth Johnson asked legislators (mostly Republicans) to consider using state surplus funds for road repairs rather than hike vehicle registrations. Thanks...but no thanks!

This didn't stop Johnson as she then had the audacity to request all voters be allowed to vote "absentee" ballots since life is a whirl these days. And allow her office to post online before elections, information on whom or what is giving how much money to candidates. So we’d know who really is running the State of Michigan.

Let the people vote on Johnson's ideas and my guess is folks would overwhelmingly approve them all. Unless, of course, the courts who seem under a spell and in the pockets of the one percent weigh in. Then, all bets are off.

BILL GILL/Grand Rapids Township

Grand Rapids has been lauded in recently for its commitments in climate change mitigation, urban green space planning, and ecological restoration.

While I applaud these efforts, a public notice from the Michigan Department of Transportation in the April 27 Press reinforced my desire to advocate for improvement on easily obscured environmental issues.

This notice details the 2014 Herbicide application program for road median and general brush control. Roundup Pro Concentrate (glyphosate) is one among a vast array of chemicals listed for use.

According to information retrieved from the Sierra Club Canada website that cited numerous scientific studies, glyphosate alone is reportedly "benign," but with the addition of "inert" ingredients in commercial formulations, such as surfactants, the toxicity increases dramatically. Besides detrimental human health effects due to chronic exposure (a key one being hormone disruption), commercial glyphosate is extremely toxic to fish, kills beneficial insect populations, and negatively impacts many non-target plant species.

I understand that viable alternatives to current herbicides utilized in roadway brush control are hard to find. My hope is that our generation will discover innovative, sustainable options to mass herbicide sprays. Solutions could include adopting a form of third-party verified, integrated pest management, or transforming road medians and highway strips into urban gardens maintained by community volunteers, school children, or members of the prison population.

I want to help foster an environmentally sound and vibrant future in Michigan. This is one more step that the leadership in our exemplary city could take in that direction.